Sunday, November 11

Eat Christmas Cookies, A Food Blog(ga) Event

One of the disadvantages of living in Southern California is that it never feels like Christmas, even at Christmas. When my mother came from Providence one December, she noted, “They have Christmas lights on the palm trees out here.” “Of course,” I replied, “where else would they put them?” “Well, that’s just silly if you ask me,” she added.

She has a point. Sparkling palm trees just don’t have the same effect as those big old-fashioned multicolored lights peeking through the snow on pine trees and holly bushes.

There must be something programmed in me though, because as soon as the sky turns grey and the air has a chill (as it does today), I inexorably start lighting Home for the Holidays candles and sorting though Christmas cookie recipes.

Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without the Charlie Brown Christmas special or eating cookies. Like Charlie Brown says, it’s not about who has the shiniest Christmas tree (or Lexus as it were), it’s about the true meaning of Christmas -- eating. Well, more like the warm feeling you get inside, as when you share and eat Christmas cookies.

So, find your Traditional Holiday Music Channel, light your Christmas candles, and start baking. Beat your egg whites into stiff peaks of snow. Dip your cookies in chocolate so shiny smooth you could ice skate on it. Then send them to me. Well, don’t actually send them to me, send them to your mom or your son or your neighbor. Then send me the link.

1. Post about a Christmas cookie from now through December 24th at midnight PST. Please try to send them by December 17th because I will be posting your recipes as I receive them; the earlier you send them, the more likely someone else will see your recipe and try it before Christmas.

If you’d like a picture to accompany your entry, then please attach a photo of your cookies.

4. Don’t have a blog but would like to participate?

(That means you Cheryl and Auntie Diane)

No problem. Just email me your name, location, recipe, and brief description or story about the cookies. Please attach a picture to the email if you’d like it to accompany your recipe, and I will post it to the website.

Great idea, Susan! I'm with you! I've been stockpiling CDs and Christmas books since early October, just waiting! We're on the same wavelength (you, me and Charlie Brown). I've got an interesting holiday cookie for you!

Now shortly I can say that Muslims (in Turkey) mostly bake -not cookies- but "baklava" on Ramadan Bairams, or in other religious festivals in Turkey. Maybe you know or not but as Turkey is dşfferent from other Muslim countries, I cannot say that this is a tradition of Islam. Just we do so here in Turkey :) I don't know the others...

There is also another "traditional" special dessert which is cooked during Ramadan in Turkey. It is "gullac" which is made of a very thin dough of starch, milk, and some nuts, and sometimes rose syrup.

I will search , and write a post about the thing you asked in details on my blog soon then :)

this sounds fun! i just returned from lunch at a favorite shop with my mom and sister, that was all decked out in christmas things, so i feel a little christmas-y at the moment! (i was mourning the passing of halloween!) i have gotten out of the habit of making cookies, (i was eating them all!) and recently had a cookie craving for snickerdoodles!

I grew up in a place where it was not uncommon to wear shorts and sandals on Christmas day. So I am still amazed and thrilled that coats, scarves and the possibility of snow make up the holiday season here in NYC. A white Christmas is more than a dream! Though if I'd grown up with proper-Christmas weather, I'd miss it too. That said, Christmas lights on palm trees sounds rather festive. What a sweet (no pun intended) event! I can't wait to see all the recipes.

Funny - I was just looking at the contents of my (bursting at the seams) storecupboard this weekend and thinking "what can go into cookies?" I'll definitely come up with something between now and Christmas!

And as for the Christmas/weather thing - I think it's programmed into you as a kid, because for me it doesn't feel like Christmas when it's cold and grey! My favourite Christmas memories involve swimming between the courses of the Christmas meal.

This is wonderful, Susan! This is the year when I promised myself to get started baking early and give all my friends and family cookies and other baked goods as gifts. Your event will be much appreciated! Oh, and I'll do my best to contribute as well.Well, I'll be in CA this Christmas, so it looks like lights on palm trees for me, too! Cheers!

I grew up in the east, too, where Christmas meant snow and pines and such. But when you think about it, I'm guessing that Bethlehem probably has more palm trees than pine trees, so maybe it's not quite as whacky as it might seem at first.

Looking forward to the event... Christmas cookies and the traditions associated with them were a staple in my house growing up. I'm still trying to use up the rest of my pumpkin puree but Xmas cookies are next!

I came to California once, it was only November but Christmas decorations where almost all over and... I agree with you, it's not really Christmas without pine trees and snow!I like this christmas cookies event! I'll bake some for sure! :)

Your Christmas Cookie deal sounds like a fun event---my wife (who was the dessert chef at my restaurant) has a great recipe for Snicker doodles (which is Santa's favorite cookie)---I'll see if I can post that one. I posted a link to your Cookie event in my Friday blog round0up. Happy Holidays!

Great idea--and I love that you kept it simple and are going to get people posting their cookies ahead of time. As soon as I get back from our family thanksgiving the Christmas baking starts. I just freeze everything and defrost fresh cookies as I want them. I can't wait to start posting cookies!Julie

now way I'd give it a miss!!! Susan, love this theme! In the past week I was looking for some fig paste for making cookies (I bet you'd guess what mine is :) :)I agree on your seeing palm tree things in the Christmas season. In this city (almost the same... but there are maple trees as well). Luckily the maple suddenly turned their color last week.

i(dot)j-You right click on the image, then click on "File," then "save as." You select a name to save the picture as, and save it to your desktop or a folder. Then you upload it just as you would any other image to your post. Let me know if that helps. You can also email me directly. I'm so happy to hear you'll be participating! :)

Hi - just discovered this event through the Daring Bakers. What a great idea! I love Christmas baking and am always on the lookout for more Christmas recipes. I've already baked my Christmas cake and pudding for this year, so now have plenty of time to try out new recipes. I've just made my aunt's Austrian lebkuchen biscuits for Christmas this year, so will post about them very soon and will send you a link. Thanks for hosting such a fun event! Melinda from Melbourne Larder

I love Christmas and "celebrate" year round ... thinking of the birth of Jesus. By the way, I am posting a Christmas sight based on the new book "A Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts" which emphasizes a stress-free Christmas. I've posted a couple of recipes on this site. It iswww.christmas-scrapbook.info-- check it out.LarryPS Christmas is not a day on the calendar but a frame of mind.